At the headquarters of the Japanese 35th Army in Luzon, the staff members were in a hurry and telegrams were heard all the time.
The battle situation on the front line was constantly reported to the headquarters. Without exception, they suffered heavy losses and requested tactical guidance.
"On Bagaya Road, one division cannot withstand the attack of thousands of Chinese people, they are a bunch of losers!
There is no tactical guidance, wars are going on everywhere, and the headquarters has no troops to send. It must be resisted, otherwise they will all die! "
The roar of the commander, Lieutenant General Suzuki Sosaku, came again from the headquarters. The battle situation on the front line was unfavorable, and reinforcements were being asked everywhere, which made him anxious.
Although the 35th Army has 120,000 troops, they are widely dispersed. It takes time to assemble the troops. The Chinese offensive was too fierce and the incident happened suddenly. Many troops were not ready for the battle.
The phone rang rapidly. When Lieutenant General Suzuki heard that he wanted tactical command and guidance, he cursed angrily again:
"Bagaya Road, Yingjiang's firepower is too intense? Wouldn't you be able to fight without heavy firepower?
Where is your bushido spirit? No retreat allowed! Otherwise, they will all die! "
After Suzuki finished scolding, he hung up the phone and continued to stare at the map and worry about it. Then he said to the chief of staff, Major General Hanyu:
"Hanyu-kun, Takao-chan's naval gun is so lethal, one shot can crush half a squad, or even a squad of the Imperial Army;
It is better to order the peripheral troops to withdraw into Marilla. Yingjiang cannot use naval guns to bombard densely populated big cities.
The imperial army could take advantage of its strength to engage in street fighting with the Chinese in Marila. "
Major General Hanyu took the order and left. Following Lieutenant General Suzuki's order, he originally wanted to take advantage of the Chinese people's unsteady foothold to drive the landing troops into the sea;
Yingjiang's naval gun woke up the Japanese. The Japanese's defensive position was too close to the coastline. Within the range of Yingjiang's large-caliber naval gun, no amount of troops could withstand the consumption of the naval gun.
After paying a heavy price, the Japanese finally recognized the reality, began to shrink the defense line, and retreated all the main forces to Marilla City. Later, they only had to face the Chinese Expeditionary Force alone in street fighting.
Marila is the capital of Luzon and the largest city. It has a large population, a developed economy, and a dense water network. It is very suitable for street fighting and can minimize the firepower advantage of the Chinese Expeditionary Force.
As the Japanese troops on the periphery retreated in large strides, the 1st Marine Brigade, the first batch to land, occupied all the beach positions and advanced more than ten kilometers in depth to reach the gates of Marila City.
The 1st Marine Brigade was not in a hurry to attack Marilla, but switched to defense on the spot to provide cover for the landing of the main force.
Next, the Second and Third Divisions of the Independence Army, the direct artillery brigade and other units began to land one after another and attacked the northern Luzon area.
At the same time, the New Second Army launched a landing battle in southern Luzon. With the support of Yingjiang's powerful navy and air force, it took only half a day to defeat an independent brigade of the defenders, complete the landing, and wipe out more than 3,000 enemies. people.
At this point, more than 70,000 troops from the two armies of the Chinese Expeditionary Force successfully landed in Luzon, completing the first phase of the counterattack in Luzon.
After the Chinese Expeditionary Force gained a foothold in Luzon, it did not continue to launch attacks in its depth. Instead, it built a field airport on the spot and mobilized more troops and materials to enter Luzon.
The more than 60,000 recruits that the expeditionary force had previously recruited in Jade are now fully put to use after nearly a year of training.
Chu Xiong organized them into 16 regiments on the spot and transported them all to Luzon together with the Foot Pot Chicken National Salvation Army;
All the new recruits of the 16 regiments were recruited into the Independent Army and the New Second Army. Most of the main force of the previous First Division was reorganized into the Navy. This time after the new recruits were in place, one main regiment from the Second and Third Divisions were transferred to the First Division, and the airs were set up. He Zhenhua will serve as the division commander for the time being.
The three main divisions are all organized according to the standards of the Eagle Arms Division. Each division directly administers 4 infantry regiments, 1 artillery regiment plus the troops directly under the division, with a total number of more than 18,000 people;
In this way, each corps directly manages 3 infantry divisions, 1 artillery brigade, 1 tank regiment and troops directly under the corps. The total army is about 70,000 people.
After replenishing Annan and Khmer prisoners, the National Salvation Army's number expanded to 22,000, which was equivalent to the size of a second-class Japanese division. Lieutenant General Guan Yuan, the former commander of the Fourth Division, served as the division commander. .
The Foot Pot Chicken National Salvation Army strengthened its forces in the direction of Marila, and the Independence Army was under unified command to attack Marila;
After the reorganization of the New Second Army was completed, it was responsible for attacking the southern Luzon region. After strengthening, Luzon's troops included the Independence Army, the New Second Army, the First Marine Brigade, the National Salvation Army and other units, with the total strength increased to more than 170,000 people.
In addition, it can be supported by more than 300 aircraft, both in terms of military strength and firepower, which is enough to crush the Luzon garrison.
After the mobilization of troops and materials was completed, the Southern Route Army prepared to launch the Battle of Malila
At the South Route Army Headquarters, Zhong Guoliang summoned cadres above the division commander level to make pre-war deployments:
"Comrades, Luzon is an island country consisting of thousands of islands, large and small. Among them, 11 major islands such as Luzon, Mindanao, and Samar occupy most of the territory. The area is approximately equivalent to a province in China. ;
Marila is the capital of Luzon and the core area of Luzon. It has a developed economy, a large population, and many high-rise buildings. Many of these high-rise buildings are made of reinforced concrete. With a little modification, they can become a large bunker.
There are at least 70,000 troops garrisoning the city, and the Japanese are determined to engage in street fighting with our expeditionary force in Manila City;
The Japanese cannot afford to lose Marilla and will definitely fight to the death, so everyone must be mentally prepared to fight hard and fiercely. "
After Zhong Guoliang said this, he glanced at Lieutenant General Guan Yuan intentionally or unintentionally. Guan Yuan understood and knew that it was time for him to show his loyalty, so he immediately stood up and said:
"Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, our First Division of the National Salvation Army has not made any achievements since its formation. Please entrust the most arduous task to our department!"
Zhong Guoliang nodded with great satisfaction and praised:
"Lieutenant General Sekihara's consciousness is very high, and his courage to take on the responsibility is worthy of praise. Commander Chu will be very happy when he finds out!
This time, the National Salvation Army will be responsible for the main frontal attack mission. You will be supported by hundreds of bombers, and the artillery brigade directly under the army will also provide you with sufficient artillery support;
In the expeditionary force, many people opposed the existence of the National Salvation Army and felt that its existence was unnecessary. It was Commander Chu who stood up to all the opinions and believed that you will become friends of the Chinese people in the future and can take on the role of leader of the new order of the Foot Pot Chicken in the future. .
The Battle of Marila is a battle where you show your worth. You can tell all the soldiers that whether the National Salvation Army retains its establishment depends on their performance! "
Sekihara was so frightened that he immediately stood up and said:
"Chief of Staff and Commander Chu, please take a look at our performance!"
Zhong Guoliang motioned Guan Yuan to sit down, and then continued:
"The second division is responsible for feigning attacks from the flanks, and the other divisions serve as reserves..."
